Bluff Cove air attacks

The Bluff Cove air attacks occurred on 8 June 1982 during the Falklands War when Argentine aircraft from the 5th Air Brigade bombed British troop transports off Bluff Cove in the southern Falkland Islands, destroying 2 of their ships and delaying their assault on Port Stanley by two days.

Background
Following the Battle of Goose Green, the British landed 5,000 more troops by 1 June, and the offensive on Port Stanley was to start, led by Major-General Jeremy Moore. 9,000 British troops were to defeat the Argentine troops in and around Mount Longdon while the second stage focused on Mount Tumbledown, thereby opening the path to Port Stanley. The supplies and reinforcements needed for the offensive were to be transported by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in Bluff Cove on 8 June at night, hoping to avoid Argentine air attacks.

Battle
Due to a lack of coordination, however, the operation had to occur during daylight. The Argentines spotted the British force and launched several airstrikes, inflicting Britain's heaviest single loss during the war, killing 56 British sailors. General Mario Menendez was told that 900 British soldiers had died, and he expected that the British morale would drop and their offensive would stall. The offensive was put off for two days, and it was not until 11 June that the British ground offensive began.